Ontario
Ontario was one of the ten provinces of Canada. Description Canada's most populous province, it was the fourth largest in total area with 1,076,395 km2. It was home to the nation's capital city, Ottawa, and the nation's most populous city, Toronto. Ontario was bordered by the province of Manitoba to the west, Hudson and James Bays to the north, Quebec to the east, and to the south by the U.S.A. All but a small part of Ontario's 2,700 km border with the United States followed inland waterways. The province consisted of three main geographical regions: · The Canadian Shield in the northwestern and central portions, compromising over half the land area of Ontario. This area mostly does not support agriculture, but it is rich in minerals and in part covered by the Canadian Shield forests. · The virtually unpopulated Hudson Bay Lowlands in the extreme north and northeast, mainly swampy and sparsely forested. · Southern Ontario, which is further sub-divided into four regions; Central Ontario, Eastern Ontario, Golden Horseshoe and Southwestern Ontario. Climate Despite lacking mountainous terrain, there are large areas of uplands. The highest point is Ishpatina Ridge at 693 metres above sea level located in Northeastern Ontario. The climate varies largely from season to season and from one location to another. It is affected by 3 air sources: cold, dry and arctic air; Pacific polar air and warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Most of Ontario's climate is classified as humid continental. Ontario has three main climatic regions. The Great Lakes greatly influence the climatic region of southern Ontario. The region has warm to hot, humid summers and cold winters. Annual precipitation ranges from 750–1,000 mm and is well distributed throughout the year. Most of this region lies in the lee of the Great Lakes, making for abundant snow in some areas. The next climatic region is Central and Eastern Ontario which has a moderate humid continental climate. This region has warm and sometimes hot summers with colder, longer winters, ample snowfall and annual precipitation similar to the rest of Southern Ontario. Along the eastern shores of Lake Superior and Lake Huron winter temperatures are slightly moderated but come with frequent heavy lake-effect snow squalls that increase seasonal snowfall totals upwards of 3 m in some places. These regions have higher annual precipitation in some case over 100 cm. The northernmost parts of Ontario — primarily north of 50°N — have a subarctic climate with long, severely cold winters and short, cool to warm summers with dramatic temperature changes possible in all seasons. With no major mountain ranges blocking Arctic air masses, temperatures of −40 °C are not uncommon; snowfall remains on the ground for sometimes over half the year. Snowfall accumulation can be high in some areas. Precipitation is generally less than 70 cm and peaks in the summer months in the form of showers or thunderstorms. Economy Ontario was Canada's leading industrial province, accounting for 52% of the total Gross National Product (GNP). Toronto, the capital of Ontario, was the center of Canada's financial services and banking sector. Neighboring cities were home to product distribution, IT centers, and various manufacturing industries. Canada's Federal Government was the largest single employer in the Region. The information technology sector was important, particularly in the Silicon Valley North section of Ottawa, as well as the Waterloo Region. Mining and the forest products industry, notably pulp and paper, were vital to the economy of Northern Ontario. Tourism contributed heavily to the economy of Central Ontario, peaking during the summer months. At other times of the year, hunting, skiing and snowmobiling are popular. Tourism also played a key role in border cities with large casinos, attracting U.S. visitors. Modern Ontario Although playing a part in Earth’s Third World War, Ontario (and the majority of Canada) escaped with relatively little damage. Ontario’s economy today is dominated by the service industry, which employs about 75% of the country's workforce. They are one of the most important global producers of wheat, canola, and other grains. Category:Places